Whether you’re new to the world of cloud computing or simply new to Amazon Web Services, there’s probably a lot you still don’t know. AWS is an expansive platform with nearly limitless potential, making it difficult for even the most seasoned IT professionals to grasp its scope and significance in the tech world. In this blog post, we'll dive into everything you need to know about AWS as a beginner. We’ll cover what AWS services are and why they matter, as well as common uses of AWS and some best practices when implementing AWS in your company.
What is AWS?
AWS stands for Amazon Web Services, a cloud computing service provided by Amazon. The platform offers a wide range of technology services, including databases and analytics tools, messaging services, virtual machines and more. When you use AWS, you are essentially renting computing power, storage and other technology-related services from Amazon. You don’t need to buy servers or other hardware to support your business. Instead, you pay Amazon to use its technology. AWS is a highly scalable platform, meaning it can quickly increase or decrease its capacity based on user demand. If your company experiences an increase in usage, you can quickly scale up your AWS account and add more computing power. If usage drops off, you can scale back down to minimize costs.
How does AWS work?
Amazon Web Services includes many different types of services. These services are hosted on AWS servers located around the world. Most companies that use AWS have multiple servers running. In order to connect and use these cloud-hosted services, you must use special software. This is known as an application programming interface, or API. The API is the interface used to connect to AWS services. Two of the most important APIs used with AWS are the Simple Storage Service (S3) and Amazon SimpleDB (SDB). S3 is a service for storing data in the cloud. It can be used as a backup tool, to store raw data or to host static websites. SDB is a data storage service used to handle large amounts of unstructured data.
The benefits of using AWS
As the world’s largest cloud provider, Amazon Web Services offers a wide range of benefits over other hosting options. This is in part due to AWS’s vast size and scale. While smaller providers may be able to offer lower prices, AWS’s massive infrastructure and economies of scale allow it to provide highly competitive prices. As a user, you also benefit from AWS’s wide range of services. You can pick the services that are best suited for your business, and use them as needed. This allows you to scale your computing resources up or down as needed without having to buy hardware that sits idle much of the time. \n\n
Which services should you use?
Some AWS services are more important than others, depending on your business and the role that AWS plays in your organization. The following are some of the most common AWS services and why they’re beneficial. Web hosting: If your company runs a website, chances are that you need web hosting services. AWS offers a wide range of web hosting options. Email hosting: If your business uses email, you need a reliable email hosting service. AWS offers email hosting through Amazon Simple Email Service (Amazon SES). Database hosting: A database is a crucial business tool, regardless of the type of business you have. AWS offers database hosting services with Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS). File storage: No matter what type of business you run, you need a way to store and access data. AWS offers file storage through Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3).
Bottom line
When you use AWS, you’re essentially renting computing power, storage and other technology-related services from Amazon. You don’t need to buy servers or other hardware to support your business. Instead, you pay Amazon to use its technology. Amazon Web Services includes many different types of services. These services are hosted on AWS servers located around the world. Most companies that use AWS have multiple servers running. When you use AWS, you are benefiting from Amazon’s vast size and scale. You can pick the services that are best suited for your business, and use them as needed. This allows you to scale your computing resources up or down as needed without having to buy hardware that sits idle much of the time.\n\n
